


i need you here with me but we're out in the open

by flow3rs



Series: you were mine for the summer (now we know its nearly over) [4]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Arguing, Depression, Fluff, Glitter, House Party, Inspired by Euphoria (TV 2019), M/M, Napping, Sad Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Summer Love, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, ej's pov, euphoria! themed party, i like to keep u on ur toes, sorry about the end of this yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26485945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flow3rs/pseuds/flow3rs
Summary: so maybe ej had a small crush on ricky for the past few years. and maybe that crush developed a little more after they hooked up on the beach that night a few weeks ago. and maybe he had now convinced himself that he could possibly be in love with the turtle-loving boy who talked a mile a minute and rambled on for hours at a time.but it was, like, whatever.orricky takes a lot of naps, gina is a bad bitch, and ej throws a party. and maybe an old face shows up in cape may after three years, too.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Series: you were mine for the summer (now we know its nearly over) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890310
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	i need you here with me but we're out in the open

**Author's Note:**

> shit is going down yall
> 
> shoutout to the rj clowns ([ichorborn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ichorborn/pseuds/ichorborn), [finding](https://archiveofourown.org/users/finding/pseuds/finding), [TheKeyOfHappiness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKeyOfHappiness/pseuds/TheKeyOfHappiness)) for keeping me motivated to write xx
> 
> title from 'the beach' by the neighbourhood

The moon was bright in the dark sky by the time EJ’s parents called him, wondering where he was.

They had talked for hours and EJ pretended it wasn’t a big deal how much he’d learned about Ricky in that time span but in reality it made his heart burst into a million tiny butterflies, just dying to escape the confines of his ribcage. Ricky hated fireflies. Ricky loved sushi. Ricky collected Marvel Pop! figures. Ricky learned how to surf when he was seven. Ricky had a poster of Steve Buscemi on his ceiling. Ricky’s favorite color was Canary yellow.

Ricky. Ricky. Ricky.

EJ was reluctant to leave his spot on the porch swing, too engrossed with the younger boy and their conversation. But his parents were getting impatient and the stars were dancing in the sky, reminding him that it was night time and he had a lifeguarding shift early in the morning. He bid his goodbye to the younger boy on the steps of his old Victorian cottage, but not before kissing him deeply and peppering tiny pecks over the freckles on his cheeks as Ricky’s eyes crinkled in delight. And then EJ kissed him again because he couldn’t help himself now that he was allowed and they kissed as if it wasn’t teetering on two in the morning; as if they weren’t on display for the Trump flag blowing on the lawn of the neighbor’s yard; unaware of the judgement the garden gnomes sitting in the grass were throwing their way.

And when they finally separated, EJ didn’t make it three feet before turning around again and walking backwards to look at Ricky while he walked, seafoam eyes bright and shining and grin beginning to hurt his cheeks.

“Hey!” the younger boy chided, sitting on the steps of his house with his face in his hands. “You’re not even wearing shoes!”

“I never wear shoes, we live at the beach!” EJ called from yards away, skipping around in a circle and clicking his heels as the boy of his dreams laughed, shaking his head.

He went to bed with the knowledge that Ricky was much more than the eight year-old at Ron Jon Surf Shop; much more than the missed medications and the midnight beach escapades; much more than the tweed newsboy cap and obscenely short shorts that served ice cream. Ricky was complex; an equation that EJ wanted to spend his life trying to solve. A constellation that was made up of a million bursting stars to form a beautiful figure in the sky. A work of art that consisted of different mediums; paint and collage and watercolor mixed with graphite and charcoal.

Most importantly, EJ slept with the knowledge that he now had Ricky’s phone number saved in the contacts of his phone.

So now EJ could not only bother him with his sarcastic antics in real life, but he could also bother him _by text_.

And bother Ricky he did.

As soon as they exchanged numbers, they wouldn’t stop messaging each other; sending stupid memes and sharing links to chaotic TikToks and discussing the state of the world. EJ was constantly typing, constantly smiling down at the wretched smartphone in his hand so often that Mr. Mazzara had to implement a “No Phone” policy for the teen lifeguards. (It was justified, considering EJ almost let a tourist drown because he was so focused on relaying to Ricky why Dixie D’amelio would be the only girl on TikTok he would simp for.)

So they talked. Like, all the time.

And now EJ had Ricky’s address memorized by heart and was tight with Mr. Bowen ( _“When will you start calling me Mike, EJ!”_ ) so he came over a lot. Like. Everyday.

Because before, the only opportunities he had to even interact with Ricky would be strolling into The Inside Scoop and being an asshole but now he had the leverage of actually _knowing_ Ricky rather than just dreaming of him and watching him work through the window of the ice cream shop while EJ was on duty across the street. So he used that leverage to spend more time with the younger boy.

Hanging out at Ricky’s house mostly consisted of watching him catch fish in Animal Crossing ( _“Holy shit, I caught a Hammerhead Shark! Those are worth, like, eight thousand bells! My villagers are gonna have a field day.”_ ) ((EJ had absolutely no idea what any of that meant but he kissed Ricky in celebration anyway)), making out lazily and rutting against each other until they stained their pants, and most notably, taking naps.

EJ was not prepared for the amount of naps Ricky Bowen liked to take in a single day. Ricky was tired and exhausted and sleepy seemingly all the time, which EJ assumed probably had something to do with his depression. But he also had a sneaking suspicion that the younger boy just really liked to sleep.

He wasn’t about to complain, however, because taking naps with Ricky was almost more satisfying than hooking up with him. (Almost.)

EJ had caught on to the fact that Ricky’s love language was physical touch almost immediately; Ricky liked to hold hands and play footsie and take EJ’s face in his hands and just look at him. He especially liked it when EJ did all of those things and more without having to be told to do so.

But when Ricky slept, he _touched_. Subconsciously or on purpose, EJ hadn’t really figured that out yet but once again, he was not complaining. Ricky liked to cuddle; liked to throw a leg over EJ’s hips and wrap his arms around the older boy’s middle. Placed his palm on EJ’s heartbeat and brought his ear to the other boy’s chest to listen through his sternum. EJ’s chest was strong and firm and stable. (Everything Ricky thought he wasn’t.) Ricky wrapped his body around EJ like a koala or fit his back against EJ’s front as they spooned or sometimes he would simply lie next to the older boy and hold his hand as they lay in the bed side by side.

So Ricky liked to nap a lot and with napping came intimate touches that EJ never thought he’d ever have the luxury of receiving. (And if he was being honest, one of his own love languages was quality time. So a four-hour nap with Ricky meant more to him than any gift he could ever receive.)

So maybe EJ had a small crush on Ricky for the past few years. And maybe that crush developed a little more after they hooked up on the beach that night a few weeks ago. And maybe he had now convinced himself that he could possibly be in love with the turtle-loving boy who talked a mile a minute and rambled on for hours at a time.

But it was, like. Whatever.

EJ stood behind the counter of The Inside Scoop, leaning against the glass of the freezer and listening to Ricky rant about how much he hated the little girls who never brought enough money with them when they wanted ice cream.

“Chillax, Newsie, they were like seven years old, tops. They probably thought they were the shit for walking in here with their own money,” EJ comforted, rubbing the younger’s shoulder lightly as he aggressively wiped the counter.

“I hate children…” Ricky muttered, not looking up from his task.

Gina rolled her eyes from where she was sitting on a stool next to him, legs propped up on the counter and sipping on a Mailman Mocha Milkshake she had made for herself. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people whose only personality trait is hating children.”

“No. I hate babies and teens and adults also. I hate everyone,” Ricky said seriously.

“But what about meeee,” EJ drawled, wrapping his arms around the other teen’s shoulders. Gina gagged but hid her smile behind her milkshake.

Ricky grimaced at him but leaned into the touch anyway. “Maybe I wouldn’t hate you if you bought Animal Crossing for Switch and played with me.”

“I really don’t have time to harvest radishes and take care of my own island.”

The younger boy rolled his eyes and pushed EJ’s arms off of him, turning around to check the stock of the toppings on the counter behind him. “You’ve got a big ego. I think Isabelle could change that.”

“Who the hell is Isabelle?” EJ asked, reaching behind Ricky to grab an Oreo crumble from its container and popping it in his mouth.

Ricky sighed. “If you played Animal Crossing, you’d know.”

“Oops.”

“There’s, like, one rainbow sprinkle left. I’m gonna check the back to see if we have more. You two,” Ricky warned, waving his finger between Gina and EJ. “Please don’t start a fire while I’m gone. Or, like, an anti-fascist regime or anything. Save that for next Wednesday, that’s when I’m free.”

“Can’t make any promises that the revolution won’t start in the five minutes you’re looking through the inventory closet. But I’ll try my best,” Gina deadpanned, taking a long sip from her milkshake.

With that, Ricky went through the swinging door behind them, leaving the two other teens alone.

“I just want you to know,” Gina declared, leaning up from where she was perched and looking at EJ with a smug expression. “That I manifested your relationship.”

EJ snorted. “Don’t tell me you believe in that manifestation shit.”

“I don’t believe it. I _am_ it.”

“So...you’re full of _shit_ , is what you’re saying?” EJ cocked a brow, throwing another Oreo in his mouth.

“Of course. I am _the_ shit,” Gina smirked.

EJ shook his head and he chuckled, “You’re just too good at these one liners, Gi.”

“I’m clever like that, what can I say.”

EJ got up from where he was leaning on the freezer and moved to stand behind the cash register, picking up the tip jar and rolling it around the counter distractedly. “You’re coming tonight, right? Party at my place at 10. Well, 11 but if I say 11 then everyone’s gonna show up at 12.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss a _Euphoria_ themed party for the world. Any chance I get to be as much of a bitch as Maddy Perez is, is a chance I’m going to take,” Gina nodded, sucking the last of her milkshake through the straw.

“Perfect,” EJ approved, jingling the coins in the mason jar around. “And if you’re getting ready with Ricky beforehand, make sure he actually puts makeup or glitter on or something. I’m going full on Nate-Jacobs-hallucinated-by-Jules-on-Molly tonight so if Ricky doesn’t match my energy, it’s gonna make me look bad.”

The bell on the door of the shop jingled as they spoke, Gina not looking up from where she was perched as she scrolled through her phone. Ricky had taught EJ how to use the cash register so that he didn’t have to work when he was lazy, so the older boy turned to the customer in front of the counter, putting on his best smile.

“Hi, welcome to The Inside Scoop, what can I get for you today?” he charmed, eyes bright as he spoke to the girl. She looked surprised to see him, an apprehensive expression forming on her face as she wrung her hands nervously. EJ noticed the action and spoke up sweetly, “Uh, if you need any help ordering, just let me know. I know the menu is pretty extensive.”

The girl smiled at him; she looked about the same age as the rest of them, maybe one or two years younger. Her long brown hair had inklings of blonde streaks and the short, ruffled sundress she was wearing accentuated her slim legs. The dress looked expensive. You could guess she wasn’t from Cape May from just the amount of delicate gold necklaces layered atop her collarbones and the Quay Australia sunglasses perched atop her head. She wore black Doc Martens on her feet. No one in Cape May wore real shoes.

She coughed awkwardly before responding. “Um, actually I’m not ordering. Is Ricky here?”

At the sound of the girl’s voice, Gina finally looked up and her eyes widened as she scrambled off of her stool. She opened her mouth to say something at the same time that Ricky walked through the swinging back door, tub of rainbow sprinkles in hand.

Which he promptly dropped to the ground, the tiny sweets spilling across the floor as he made eye contact with the girl across the counter. Gina and EJ yelped as the rainbow mess swam across their feet.

“Newsie, are you good?” EJ joked hesitantly, looking between him and the girl.

Ricky didn’t reply, staring straight ahead as he took in the girl in front of him. “Nini?” he asked, but it came out more like a statement.

“Hey, Ricky,” the girl smiled, eyes soft as she took a step closer to the counter.

Gina coughed into her hand quietly. “I’m gonna...get the vacuum. To clean this all up,” she muttered, before making her way past the swinging door behind them.

EJ just stood there, looking between the two teens hesitantly. There was an air of tension between them that he couldn’t quite place, but he knew that he was suddenly very uncomfortable with the energy created in the ice cream shop at that moment. He took a step back away from Ricky, almost stumbling on the rainbow sprinkles that splattered the floor.

“Wha—? When— ? I—. Why are you here?” Ricky stuttered, taking a step closer to the counter and grabbing the edge of it.

The girl, apparently Nini, chuckled. “Damn, no ‘ _how are you, it’s been three years and we used to be best friends’_?” she joked. Ricky didn’t laugh.

“When did you get back?” the younger boy asked instead. EJ glanced down and noticed his knuckles whitening where he gripped the edge of the counter.

“Um, this morning. I’m staying over Kourtney’s with my moms. But I just wanted to stop by and say hi and, you know, see how you were doing and stuff.”

Ricky blinked. “Well. I’m good,” he lied, jaw clenched. “But now’s not really the best time to talk. I’m at work and stuff, you know.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry. I should’ve, like, texted you or something,” Nini apologized, wringing her fingers around a set of keys attached to a pink Vera Bradley lanyard and a white pom pom keychain that looked like something from the girl’s section of Forever 21. From just looking at her, EJ could tell Nini didn’t give a shit about the exploited and underpaid workers in Bangladesh that provided cheap labor for fast fashion companies; could smell the reek of toxic positivity wafting from her Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea perfume that she spritz on five too many times. From just looking at her, EJ could tell: he didn’t like her.

He coughed from his place next to Ricky, making the two other teens break eye contact for the first time since they laid eyes on each other.

Ricky turned to him, eyes wide like he forgot EJ was even there. “Oh, EJ, this is Nini my–”

“Old best friend!” the girl piped up at the same time Ricky said, “Ex-girlfriend.”

The teens side-eyed each other, Ricky’s mouth forming a thin line.

“Uh, and ex-girlfriend too, yeah,” Nini rushed out.

Yeah. EJ didn’t like her.

He cleared his throat before speaking. “Well. It’s nice to meet you, Nini,” he lied, flashing her a sharp grin and checking the time on his Apple watch. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a lifeguarding shift in fifteen minutes so I should probably get go—“

“Oh wait!” Nini interrupted. EJ hated being interrupted. “You’re _EJ._ Like, _the_ EJ. Boogie board stealing, lifeguard EJ!”

“Yup.”

“I thought you hated him,” the girl said matter-of-factly, looking back in Ricky’s direction.

He blinked. “Things change.”

“ _Yeahhh,_ so I’ve really gotta go but maybe I’ll see you soon, Nini!” EJ hoped not.

He discreetly reached out as he maneuvered himself behind Ricky, placing a hand on his lower back and pinching his side gently as he made his way out of the shop. Ricky looked after him with pleading eyes, as if willing EJ to stay. And if the older boy didn’t have a shift that he was about to be late for, he really would.

“I’ll see you later tonight, Newsie. Wear glitter or else!” he shouted as he went through the shop door, unknowingly leaving Ricky and Nini alone for the first time in three years.

*****

EJ was _properly_ fucked up.

It was 11:30 and he had pregamed for the last two hours. People had flooded into his stupidly expensive beach house; mostly kids he didn’t know that probably went to Lower Cape May Regional High, some of his lifeguard coworkers, and a random group of 20 somethings that he would need to keep an eye on in case they tried anything with those high schoolers.

Except that would be a little hard since he felt like he couldn’t fully open his eyelids all the way and his head was buzzing from the mixture of vodka and weed and nicotine and maybe he had a little bag of molly in his back pocket that he was considering popping too.

So, yeah. He was properly fucked up and the wait for Ricky to walk through the threshold of his front door had felt like _ages_ , so of course he was going to pass the time by continuing to sip on his jungle juice.

He surveyed the living room as he leaned against the wall, watching as bodies swayed against each other and the neon lights left the room in an ultraviolet glow. They had done a great job setting up the party; not that EJ helped. He didn’t have a decorative bone in his body.

Seb, EJ’s affluent but kindhearted roommate at ECU who was visiting from his home in the Hamptons and EJ’s younger cousin Ashlyn had set up most of the decor. EJ had invited the two of them over to stay at the beach house for the week, feeling too lonely in the 7 bedroom house and tired of wading through the empty pool in the backyard while his parents went wherever they went during the week. Because even when they were on vacation, they were never home.

Iridescent stars hung from the ceiling and metallic tinsel covered the walls, reflecting the flashing lights as the bass of the speaker bumped around the house. Glitter was thrown all over the floor because EJ was stupid and tried to help decorate at one point, but then just ended up making a mess. But the trio agreed that it kind of looked good so they continued sprinkling the sparkles all over the house. Not that it even mattered if they fucked up the whole house; EJ’s parents would just hire some Stanley Steemer guys to clean it all up anyway.

Ashlyn had also done his makeup; more so glitter than an actual look but when he looked in the mirror after she had finished, he considered going out with purple glitter around his eyes and silver rhinestones on his cheekbones every night because he looked _damn_ good. Ashlyn had gone for a more abstract look similar to Jules’ style on the show, attaching sparkling sun-like tinsel around her eyes while Seb wore colorful pastel eyeliner.

They pretended not to judge the people that arrived in basic tube tops and t-shirts and ripped black skinny jeans, but. They failed.

He was about to complain to Seb for the tenth time about how _bored_ he was since Ricky wasn’t there yet when said boy walked through the front door of his house, group of friends trailing behind him. EJ gasped, pupils blowing at the sight of the younger boy; he wore a vintage windbreaker, pulling at the ends of its sleeves nervously as he took in the scene of the party. Ripped black jeans covered his lower half, a sight rarely seen as Ricky wore itchy tweed and loose sweat shorts most of the time EJ saw him, and his beat up Old Skool Vans were laced on his feet.

But most importantly, EJ noticed as he finished looking the younger boy up and down, bright pink eyeshadow haloed Ricky’s eyelids, spreading in a vivid flush on the high points of his face. Glitter spread over his cheekbones, replacing the natural freckles he adorned. He shined like the starry night sky that hung over them on the night that EJ pulled him from the salt waters of Broadway Beach. EJ couldn’t look away.

Ricky turned his head, finally catching EJ in the crowd of dancing bodies and haze of marijuana. His eyes lit up as he strode toward the older boy, friends trailing behind him.

Their eyes never left each other as EJ stared down at him, small smirk on his lips as they stood across from each other, close but not touching. EJ’s fingers twitched to reach out but he held himself back.

“Hi,” Ricky said, eyes wide.

“Hey,” EJ hummed back.

Behind Ricky, Gina snorted, arms crossed over her chest. “Hiiii,” she interrupted.

“Hi, Gina,” EJ replied smoothly, eyes still locked on Ricky. “Beautiful job on the makeup, by the way. Newsie looks good.”

“Oh my _god_ , is this _the_ Ricky that EJ has been complaining hasn’t arrived yet?” Seb piped up, coming up behind his roommate and draping an over his back with a shit-eating grin.

Carlos rolled his eyes and groaned, “ _Ugh_ , why is all the attention on Ricky right now when it could be on _me_ . And _Gina_ . She’s wearing the exact outfit Maddy wore in the carnival episode for fuck’s sake! And I’m just cute and deserve attention, _period!_ ”

“Hey, I think you’re cute,” Seb smirked in the boy’s direction, leaving Carlos speechless as he opened and closed his mouth trying to form a response.

EJ coughed, trying to hide his chuckle. “Uh, this is my roommate from ECU, Seb. Seb this is Ricky, Gina, and Carlos.”

“Nice to meet you,” Seb introduced himself, but he was only looking at Carlos. The younger boy blushed, waving back at him shyly.

“EJ!” a ginger girl burst, coming up on the other side of the older boy. “Somebody threw up, like, a gallon of Straw-Ber-Rita’s in your parent’s bathroom upstairs and it’s clogging the toilet–oh, hey!”

She directed her best smile towards the teens in front of her, all sparkling and shining white teeth that could charm any person into doing whatever she wanted them to; it was identical to EJ’s.

Ashlyn waved enthusiastically, introducing herself. “I’m Ashlyn, the younger but all the more wiser, and attractive I may add, Caswell.”

“I never knew you had a sister,” Ricky said toward EJ.

“Oh, no, no, no. Cousin. I could never live in the same house as him, I’d be subject to all his brooding and dramatics,” Ashlyn assured, making the older boy roll his eyes.

“ _Well_ ,” EJ piped up, draping an arm over Ricky’s shoulder and pulling the younger boy into his side. “Let’s stop brooding here and actually get this party started, yeah?”

EJ slipped his fingers into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the small plastic bag containing the molly with a smirk. The teens cheered at the sight, heading farther into the house to get drinks.

“Oh, by the way,” Ricky piped up as he wrapped his arms around EJ’s middle. “Kourtney and Big Red will be coming later on. And I think they said they were bringing someone else too.”

“Sounds good,” the older boy replied distractedly, handing Ricky a red solo cup.

After that, EJ wasn’t the only person fucked up.

The group all took a pill, putting their hands in the middle of their circle and doing a toast before popping the molly into their mouths and swallowing it down with the help of alcohol.

EJ had only taken molly once before that night; he went to a Travis Scott concert at Madison Square Garden with Seb and some other boys from the swim team at ECU. At one point, he considered it the best night of his life.

But as he swayed to the music blasting in his living room, Ricky’s back to his front and the younger boy’s head resting on his shoulder as EJ ran his hands up and down Ricky’s sides, he thought: maybe. Maybe this was better than anything he’d ever experienced.

Ricky felt so _good_ moving against him; warm and slow and sweet like golden honey dripping from a wand. He felt energy at every point that made contact with the younger boy, a buzzing electricity that hummed under his skin. Time stopped and it was like everything around him was happening in slow motion. EJ felt like he could enjoy this moment for a lifetime, like it would never end and he never wanted it to. He was happy with his arms around Ricky’s waist, his lips on Ricky’s neck, his hands holding the younger boy’s hips in a possessive grip; he doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy and doesn’t think he’ll ever be this happy again. It was the type of happiness you felt when you were a kid; giddy and stupid and for no reason at all.

EJ doesn’t remember when Ricky pushed him up against the wall, hand firm on his chest and fingers twisted in his t-shirt as he looked up at the older boy through his lashes, gaze full of hunger and pupils blown wide. Their noses brushed and breath mingled and EJ got a hand under the colorblocked windbreaker Ricky was wearing, fingers tracing the curve of his spine and making him shudder.

“I want you,” Ricky breathed, lips barely grazing EJ’s before moving to press soft kisses to his cheek.

EJ’s body moved faster than his brain and he took Ricky’s face in his hands, stroking the pink blush on the younger boy’s cheekbones and staining his thumbs with shadow. Slowly EJ’s thumbs migrated from Ricky’s cheeks to his jaw, caressing the hard line of his bone before ending up with his thumbs on the younger boy’s windpipe, pressing down just slightly and watching as Ricky’s eyes fluttered shut.

He burrowed his nose into the side of Ricky’s neck, taking a deep inhale of the toasted coconut and sea salt and sandalwood cologne that Ricky wore before pressing his fingers just a bit harder on the other boy’s neck. “I’m yours,” EJ mumbled against his skin. “I’m all yours.” And he only pulled away from Ricky for a second before crashing their lips together in a dirty, passionate, kiss.

The living room was crowded with dancing bodies but it was like they were the only two people in the room. Just EJ. Just Ricky. Just _EJandRicky_. No one else. They didn’t notice Carlos and Seb making out on the couch across the room. They didn’t hear the song change and the people singing along to it. They didn’t care about anything but each other.

And EJ loved it. He felt absolutely alive, absolutely in the moment; able to feel and experience and share with another person for the first time without fear or hesitation. He wanted to give it all to Ricky.

Ricky muttered something against his lips that he didn’t catch but it didn’t matter because the younger boy pulled him by the hand and EJ followed him upstairs; would follow no matter where Ricky took him, to be honest. His surroundings went by him in a haze; one minute he was downstairs in the living room and the next, Ricky was pushing him onto a bed and climbing on top of him, kissing him breathless. EJ only realized it was his own bedroom when Ricky leaned up above him to peel his windbreaker and undershirt off, revealing his lightly tanned chest.

EJ looked around after taking a few seconds to admire the stripping boy as Ricky threw his clothes somewhere across the room. “How’d you know this was my room?” he asked stupidly.

“There’s a chalkboard sign hanging from the door handle that says _‘EJ’s Saltwater Sanctuary’_ ,” Ricky replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh.”

And then Ricky leaned back down to once again capture EJ’s lips in a heated kiss. Their tongues melded against each other, hot breath mingling as their kiss deepened. EJ’s hands moved of their own accord, skating across Ricky’s rib cage and scratching down his back. Ricky’s own hands found the edge of EJ’s t-shirt and they separated only for a second to peel the offensive piece of fabric off, before diving right back in to continue.

EJ sat up, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s middle and pulling them even closer as Ricky began grinding his hips atop him. He groaned at the friction, his own hips bucking up to chase the pleasure as his grip in Ricky’s hair tightened.

Ricky detached himself from EJ’s lips and began sensually trailing his own along the older boy’s jawline before stopping right below his ear (right where he liked it) and whispering, “I want you to fuck me.”

And EJ gasped, leaning away just slightly as their lust filled eyes met. He was about to respond when suddenly–

“ _Ricky?!?!_ ” Nini yelled, horrified in the doorway as she held the metal doorknob in a white knuckled grip. Ricky’s head whipped in her direction and he jumped, scrambling off of EJ and falling on the floor in a heap. 

“What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the _fuck_ ,” the girl chanted, brows creased in anger as she watched Ricky clamber to retrieve his clothing. Meanwhile, EJ was just looking between the two other teens, confused as fuck as he sat on the bed.

“Nini, what the hell are you doing here–” Ricky began before being cut off.

“ _Me?!?_ What about– you know what, fuck this!” the girl cursed, throwing her hands up exasperated and storming her way back downstairs.

“Nini!” Ricky shouted after her, getting his windbreaker back on and hurriedly following her down the hall.

“Hey, wait! What the fuck!” EJ called, his brain finally catching up with what just happened. He quickly jumped out of his bed and put on a random t-shirt strewn on the floor before running after the other two.

When EJ emerged from his front door, he saw Ricky and Nini yelling at each on his front lawn. A small crowd of party goers gathered nearby, curious at the ensuing drama.

“Since when did you even like guys?” the girl questioned, arms over her chest.

“Oh, please. Like that’s what you’re mad about here?” Ricky retorted, jaw clenched as he tried to keep his voice low.

“I’m just confused, Ricky!”

“ _Confused?!_ ” Ricky laughed, a cruel sound coming from his mouth. “What do _you_ have to be confused about? Why are you suddenly acting like you care?”

Nini spluttered, confused. “What do you mean, ‘suddenly’? Ricky, I’ve always cared about you–”

“NO!” Ricky burst, taking a step closer to her as he finally snapped, losing his composure. “You don’t give a shit about me. If you cared about me you wouldn’t have fucking left! You would’ve stayed here and been there for me when I was going through all this... _shit_ . But instead you ran away to California with barely a goodbye and you _left_ me here! You don’t give a fuck about me, so stop pretending you do!”

Quiet tears slowly ran down Nini’s face as she took in Ricky’s words. “That’s not true and you know it!” she sobbed.

EJ stood frozen on the front porch, listening intently to the exchange. A few of their friends joined him as they realized what was happening outside; Kourtney and Gina came up on his left while Big Red and Carlos stood on the other side of him.

“What’s not true about it?! You think you can just suddenly come back to Cape May as if everything’s normal between us? It’s been three fucking years, Nini. And you think it’s okay to just stroll into the ice cream shop and tell me you want to get back together? How could you even think that I would want to do that?” Ricky laughed desperately, but EJ knew how angry he truly was from the way he clenched his fist at his side and his chest rose and fell rapidly as he spoke.

Ricky continued, voice rising and tears threateningly to spill over his cheeks. “I’m never getting back with you, Nini. I don’t even know if I could be friends with you anymore! You _left_ me. You left me to deal with my parents and my fucked up brain. I’m not saying I wanted you to fix me, all I wanted was for someone to _be_ there for me when everything else was leaving; my mom, my sanity. But then _you_ left, too and then I had nothing! I still have nothing!” the boy confessed, pink eyeshadow streaking on his cheekbones as the dam in his eyes finally broke.

“I’m so sorry, Ricky…” Nini whispered, sobbing.

“Just do what you do best, okay, Nini? Just leave me alone,” Ricky decided, stumbling backwards away from the prying eyes of the party. “Go fuck some boy in California and forget about me like you already did. Forget about Cape May and forget about even trying to get back together with me! And forget whatever the fuck you saw in that bedroom upstairs because just like everything else, you ruined it. So, fuck you,” Ricky concluded, putting up both of his middle fingers in the girl’s direction and continuing to walk away from the party on shaky legs.

EJ finally had the mind to go after him, brain running a mile a minute but legs seemingly not wanting to move. “Ricky!” he called out, reaching out a hand to grab the younger boy’s hand.

“No!” Ricky snapped, pulling his hand out of EJ’s grasp in a swift motion. He let out a deranged laugh as he watched EJ’s expression become concerned. “You can leave me alone, too. Stop trying to fix me, okay? I can’t be fucking fixed.”

EJ felt a piercing heat burn his chest at the words; a sharp pain that stabbed him in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. “I don’t want to fix you, Ricky! I like you exactly–”

“Shut up, EJ! Shut up! You’re perfect. You’re a fucking perfect manic pixie dream poster-boy lifeguard that doesn’t have to worry about anything in his fucking life! Of course, you want to fix me. But you can’t! So, you should just go back inside that party and fuck a random, blonde, fucking– high schooler or something! It doesn’t matter because you’re gonna leave me anyway! You’re gonna leave just like everyone else in my fucking life, so you might as well just spare me the heartbreak and leave now, okay?” the younger boy screamed, breath coming out in short puffs and makeup smudged around his eyes.

Ricky turned, beginning to run off before EJ once again grabbed his arm and tried to stop him. “Ricky, _please_ just listen to me! I care about you, I don’t want to leave you! Just let me at least walk you home, okay? Newsie?” EJ tried desperately, pleading to the younger boy.

“Just leave me the fuck alone!” Ricky exploded, ripping his arm from EJ’s grasp and stumbling backward, before beginning to pick up his pace as he looked back at the older boy. “Don’t come after me, okay? Don’t fucking follow me. You have better things to do.”

EJ watched, hand reaching out and unsure of whether or not he should listen to Ricky, as he watched him run down the sidewalk and into the dark, arms pumping and Vans tapping on the concrete with every stride. “Fuck,” the older boy muttered, running his hands through his hair as his heart beat out of his chest. “Fuck!”

He strode back towards the house, jaw clenched and radiating frustration as the partygoers turned their heads or quickly slipped back inside, pretending they didn’t hear or see a thing. He ignored most of them, but not before walking up to a wide-eyed Nini, nostrils flared and eyes shining in anger.

“Next time you show up to a party you weren’t even invited to, make sure it’s not mine? Got it?” EJ seethed, before roughly pushing his shoulder into her’s and walking back into the house. He knew there was a reason why he didn’t like her.

Gina watched after him, calling out as he wiped the wetness that was beginning to spread in his eyes. “EJ! Hey! C’mon, let’s talk about this,” she ran after him, putting an arm around him in comfort as he sank to sit on the steps of the staircase, defeated. The boom of the bass still shook around them, pink lights fading into blue and leaving the house in a chilling glow.

EJ was _properly_ fucked up.

**Author's Note:**

> i apologize <3 good things will happen in the next chapter i promise...unless?
> 
> [look at the fic moodboard here!](https://pin.it/6MRBYhP)  
> [listen to the spotify playlist inspired by this series!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0k9dkMT4OpTE0Lq4UK31Yr?si=yewGP6h-TFy0ZIaa2HBf6g)
> 
> BE MY FRIEND!  
> [tumblr](https://magentaful.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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